Technologies for knowledge and skills acquisition
The "Education and Training" sector of the Community's Telematics Applications Programme (TAP) has released a report outlining its proposals for the continuation of activities in this sector under the Fifth RTD Framework Programme. The report, "Technologies for Knowledge and Skills Acquisition - Proposal for a research agenda", outlines the key trends, options and requirements facing the Education and Training sector. The resulting document, prepared by a group of over 20 European experts in educational technologies, with the guidance of the Commission, propounds the view that the success of the Information Society in the EU is critically dependent on effective delivery of life-long learning to all its citizens, and that a large-scale European-wide action is needed in order to bring together the expertise available within the Member States. The first part of the report (Part I) analyses the trends in educational institutions and in companies, the trends in education and training policies, and the difficulties encountered in attempts to deploy educational technologies on a reasonably large scale. Part II describes the technology and cognitive science context, concluding that a system approach to education and training is required. Effective action cannot be reduced to pure technical R&D. The efforts should be balanced between the development of tools and methods to support new learning models, advanced content development and its validation in a real-life context. The report also recommends that R&D should be based mainly, but not entirely, on affordable technologies, in other words, based on an intercept strategy with emerging cost-effective technologies and services. To this end, the panel carried out an analysis of the relevant trends in technologies, infrastructures and new services which is reported on in the report annexes. In part III, the report recommends the implementation of action along three lines: - Establishing the scientific base; - RTD on components of learner-centred learning systems; - Validating research results in experimental studies. These actions should allow for proposals containing innovative, high-risk but also high-pay-off ideas which may advance knowledge on the main themes. These could include proposals which cut-across traditional disciplines. They should also contribute towards the standardization process by launching pre-standardization activities aimed at ensuring the reusability of multimedia material and the interoperability of tools and services. The authors of the report are keen to receive feed-back, opinions and views on the proposals put forward.